Category: Pentecost

How to Love Jesus

5/22/2024

Pentecost 2024
John 14:23-31
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
May 19, 2024

If you asked people today if they love Jesus, most will say, “yes.” I think that is safe to say. Yet, how do they love Jesus? The truth is, many claim to love Jesus, when their actions show that they do not love Him. Jesus gives us a description of who actually loves Him. He says, “If anyone loves me, He will keep my word, and my Father will love him and we will come and make our home with him.” (John 14:23) In the Confirmation Rite, we ask our confirmands, “Do you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully?” to which they respond, “I do, by the grace of God.” Yet, it is frustrating and disheartening that many, who make that promise do not really intend to hear God’s Word and promptly stop listening to it. So, many in the church try to figure out how we can prevent this, children leaving the church after they promise that they will remain.
But Jesus tells us the answer. He says, “If you love me, you will keep my word.” If a child loves Jesus, he will keep Jesus’ word. He will continue to listen to it and cherish it in his heart. The only way that a confirmand can keep this promise to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully, is if he loves Jesus. But how can someone love Jesus? The Holy Spirit creates love for Jesus in our hearts through faith through the proclamation of the Gospel. St. Paul writes to the Christians in Ephesus, “In [Christ] you also, when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promise of the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13) Again, the Apostle writes to the Thessalonians in chapter 1, “For we know, brothers loved by God, that He has chosen you, because our Gospel came to you not only in Word, but also in the power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction… And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit.” (1 Thess. 1:5-6) And again, St. Paul writes to the Romans in chapter 5, “And hope does not put to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (vs. 5)
The Holy Spirit comes to us through hearing the preaching of the Gospel (Galatians 3:2). Through the preaching of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit produces faith in our hearts, so that we truly believe and trust in God through Christ Jesus. This faith in God’s love for us produces love in our hearts toward God, as St. John writes in 1 John 4:
By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as He is so also are we in the world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:13-19)
You listen and keep Christ’s Word, because you love Him. You love Him, because you have faith in Him and trust that He has taken God’s punishment away from you and that God loves you. You have this faith, because the Holy Spirit has convinced you of the Father’s love through the proclamation of the Gospel. And you continue to listen to the proclamation of the Gospel, because you love Christ. All this is the work of the Holy Spirit through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus suffered and died to take away your sins. God the Father, who sent Jesus to do this, now forgives you for the sake of Christ’s suffering and death. The Holy Spirit proclaims this message of forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and thereby pours faith and love into your heart.
And so, is fulfilled what Jesus said in one of His parables, “Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.” (Luke 8:18) The love you have for Christ has been given to you by the Holy Spirit through the proclamation of the Gospel. So, if you love Christ, then you will continue to hear His Word and the Holy Spirit will give you even more faith and love. Yet, if you stop hearing, even the faith and love that you thought you had will be taken way. This is why Jesus warns, “Whoever does not love me does not keep my word.” To keep Jesus’ Word, you must first hear it.
Today, we celebrate Pentecost, the day Christ fulfilled His promise to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Pentecost is rightly considered the birthday of the Holy Christian Church, because it is through the Holy Spirit that we are born again and become members of Christ. Pentecost could also rightly be considered the anniversary of Christ and His bride the Church. Christ is the head of His bride the Church. The Church is His body. It is the Holy Spirit, who unites the Church to Christ her head.
Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would teach His disciples all things and bring to their remembrance all that He said to them. And indeed, the Holy Spirit did just that. The Apostles preached Christ’s Word with power on that Pentecost, and continued to preach Christ’s Word as long as they lived. Some of them wrote down Gospels and Epistles by the inspiration of the same Holy Spirit, which is how we got our New Testament today. Yet, the Holy Spirit continues to work in the Church. In fact, without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to be a Christian (1 Corinthians 12:3). But we have this promise from Christ, that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, will continue to work in the Church through the preaching of the Word and the Sacraments.
And what benefits do we receive from the Holy Spirit, who works through the Word of Christ? I’ve already mentioned faith in Christ and love, which draws us ever closer to God, who in turn produces more faith and love in us. Yet, listen to this promise of Jesus, “And my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit makes His abode in His Christians. There is no temple in Jerusalem anymore. The temple was where God dwelt with His people. Now God dwells with His people even more closely. I just read from St. John, “By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit.” (1 John 4:13) It is the Holy Spirit who gives us certainty that God dwells with us through faith. St. Paul writes in Ephesians 3, “according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith… and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-17, 19) Again, he writes in 1 Corinthians 3, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you! If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (1 Cor. 3:16-17)
The Holy Spirit has made you God’s temple through faith. This is a wonderful comfort, because God will protect His temple from attacks from the Devil, demons, and any other power on earth. It is another reason to guard your faith in Christ, so that you do not drive the Holy Spirit away from you through wicked sins and unbelief.
Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter or Paraclete, who gives us peace. The peace Jesus gives us through the Holy Spirit is peace, which the world cannot give. It is peace that comes from the forgiveness of Christ and from being declared righteous by God for Christ’s sake (Romans 5:1). The world cannot give you this peace. The peace the world gives is shallow and fleeting. The peace the world gives you is slavery, which tells you not to confess the truth what might offend others. The peace that the world gives you fades away and cannot withstand the test of time. But the peace that Christ gives you through the Holy Spirit endures forever. The world cannot give it to you, but neither can it take it away from you. Rather, this peace and comfort that comes from the Holy Spirit endures even suffering and death. It gives you reason to rejoice, even if you are in prison, alone, or in pain. This is peace, which can comfort you when every medicine fails, when the doctors give up, when your friends have forsaken you, when your sins accuse you, when the world melts away. Because this is peace with God, who stands forever. And this peace with God will grant you confidence to stand even on the day of judgment.
The Holy Spirit never stops giving, so never stop receiving from Him. Scripture says, “He whom God has sent utters the words of God, for He gives the Spirit without measure.” (John 3:34) When you hear Christ’s Word, you receive the Holy Spirit without measure, who continues to increase your faith and love toward God, to cause God to dwell in you as His temple, to comfort you with the peace which surpasses all understanding and cannot be taken away by poverty, sickness, or death. This Holy Spirit also works in you to put to death your sinful impulses and to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Scripture calls this the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” We live by the Spirit through faith in Christ Jesus, so we also walk by the Spirit, crucifying our sinful flesh with its passions and desires and walking in love toward God and one another. This is all made possible through the working of the Holy Spirit, whom you received through hearing the Word of Christ.
If you love Jesus, you will listen to His Word and He will give you His Holy Spirit, so that you may keep it and walk according to it. When you sin, the Holy Spirit will convict your conscience, so that you repent. When you repent, the Holy Spirit will comfort you with the Gospel that God forgives you for the sake of Jesus’ blood shed for you. When you are tempted, the Holy Spirit will strengthen you to pray. And when you do not know what to pray for as you ought, the Holy Spirit will intercede for you with groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). When you are sick, alone, or afraid, the Holy Spirit will give you courage. This is why those who love Jesus continue to hear His Word and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully. Because they have been granted such faith and love by the Holy Spirit and they want to receive more. And the Holy Spirit is more than willing to give more. Amen.

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The Work of the Holy Spirit

6/3/2023

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Pentecost Sunday
Acts 2:1-21
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran Church
May 28, 2023

Pentecost celebrates the work of the Holy Spirit. What is the work of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit sanctifies us. What does it mean to sanctify? To sanctify means to make holy. But what does it mean to make holy? To make holy means to set apart for God’s special purpose. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us by gathering us into the Holy Christian Church, which is the kingdom of Christ, where He sustains us and all believers in the one true faith.
You’ll notice that St. Luke writes in Acts chapter two that the disciples were gathered on the day of Pentecost. I thought Pentecost was a Christian holiday? It is. But it was also a Jewish holiday in the Old Testament. As with everything in the Bible, the New Testament Pentecost is better than the Old Testament Pentecost. Likewise, the New Testament Passover is better than the Old Testament Passover. The Old Testament Passover was when the children of Israel slaughtered and ate a lamb for each household and smeared the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, so that the Angel of Death would pass over them and not kill their firstborn sons as he did to the Egyptians as the tenth plague against Egypt (Exodus 12). The Israelites celebrated this Passover feast every year by sacrificing Passover lambs. The New Testament Passover Lamb is Christ. We celebrate this Passover by celebrating Christ’s suffering and death for our sins and His resurrection from the dead. We celebrate the New Testament Passover on Easter as well as every Sunday.
The Old Testament Pentecost took place fifty days after the Passover, which is why it was called Pentecost, which is Greek for fifty. Fifty days after the first Passover, God gave the people of Israel the Ten Commandments when Moses went up on Mount Sinai. Every year, fifty days after the Passover, the people of Israel would celebrate God giving the Law through Moses. Now, in Acts 2, fifty days after the greater Passover, when Christ Jesus the true and final Passover Lamb was sacrificed for our sins, so that eternal death would pass over us, a greater Pentecost comes. This Pentecost is greater, because it follows a greater Passover and so grants greater gifts (Hebrews 8:6).
Christ is the greater Passover Lamb, because He is true God and being the fulfillment of all the prophesies, also true man. He lived under the Law in our place and was truly without blemish. And He suffered and died for our sins. The Passover lambs of the Old Testament were only signs of the coming Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. They could not take away any sins, but Jesus takes away all sins. Yet, Jesus’ suffering and death for your sins and His resurrection would do you no good if the Father and the Son did not send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who is true God with the Father and the Son, delivers to you what Christ won. And if the Holy Spirit does not deliver Christ to you, then you will die in your sins. The Holy Spirit’s work to sanctify you is as important to your salvation as the Son’s work in redeeming you.
So, how does the Holy Spirit sanctify you? He uses words, God’s words. In the first Old Testament Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave Moses ten words of Law. These words told Israel how they should behave. And yet, while these words were perfect and holy, they did not save the people, but rather condemned them by accusing them of sin. In the first Pentecost of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit gave the Apostles words. But these words were different. They did not simply give commands for us to follow, but they told of the mighty works of God in Christ Jesus. The words of God in the Old Testament Pentecost required works, which were never done. The words of God in the New Testament Pentecost told of the work already done for us by Christ. These words are received through faith.
This is very much what St. Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians chapter 3, “God made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” By letter Paul means the words of the law inscribed in stone (2 Cor. 3:7), and by Spirit, he means the Gospel of Christ proclaimed by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles. Now, indeed the Holy Spirit uses both the letter of the Law and the letter of the Gospel, but He does not save with the Law. Only the Gospel saves, because it depends on Jesus’ completed work and is received through faith. The Holy Spirit uses the Law to convict you of sin and bring the threat of death and hell upon your conscience. He does this so that you will be sorry for your sins. Yet, the Holy Spirit does not desire to leave you there. The Holy Spirit’s greatest work is convincing you that God has forgiven you all your sins for Christ’s sake. The Holy Spirit’s greatest joy and work is proclaiming Christ’s work of salvation for you.
The Holy Spirit works through words to sanctify you, to gather you into the safety of the Christian Church, so that you may be saved through faith in Jesus’ blood. People get distracted by the lesser works of the Holy Spirit, which accompanied the Holy Spirit’s greater works on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit caused the disciples to speak in languages they had never learned. So, people try to speak in tongues to prove they have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit caused the disciples to prophesy, so people seek to prophesy messages from God outside of Holy Scripture to prove that they have the Holy Spirit. And they do the same thing with healings, because the Apostles also healed many people. Yet, the attempts today to speak in tongues, prophecy, and heal do not give any certainty of the Holy Spirit’s work. They are all dubious at best. Besides, St. Paul said that prophecies and tongues would cease (1 Corinthians 13:8).
The Holy Spirit caused the disciples to speak in languages they had never learned to show that the Gospel is meant for all people of every language and nation. And it promises us that the Holy Spirit can work in our own language. The Holy Spirit caused the disciples to prophecy to fulfill Scripture and so that people would know that they were sent by Christ. Yet, Scripture doesn’t promise that these gifts will continue, nor do we need them. We have the Holy Scriptures, which the Holy Spirit has caused to be written. And we have the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which have Christ’s word and promise.
And here is why it is so important that we hold fast to God’s Word in Holy Scripture, to the Gospel of Christ and the Sacraments He instituted. That is how we know that the Holy Spirit is working among us! Did that guy on TV really speak in tongues? I don’t know. Probably not. Are you baptized? Yes? Then the Holy Spirit came to you and made you God’s child! Did that fellow on the internet really come up with a new prophecy from God? No. But the Gospel truth that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners remains true today!
The Holy Spirit works through God’s Word, which means that He works in His Church, where the Word of God is taught in its truth and purity and where the Sacraments are rightly administered. You don’t need to doubt where the Holy Spirit works. And you don’t need to doubt that He continues to work today! He works every time a child is baptized and when a sinner comes to Jesus. He works every time His Church gathers for worship and when a Christian confesses Christ. He works in your hearts with a burning that is as real as those tongues of fire on the disciples. He works to save your soul and grant you everlasting life.
The work of the Holy Spirit is the greatest work being done on this earth right now. What was accomplished on that first New Testament Pentecost? Three thousand souls were baptized and added to the number of the saved; three thousand souls that would have spent eternity in hell, but rather will spend eternity in paradise! And the Holy Spirit has continued to add to the number of those being saved even to this day!
We want more practical knowledge and skills, so most ignore the workings and teachings of the Holy Spirit, as if we know enough. But what knowledge or skill on this earth can grant you eternal life? “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid,” says Jesus. The Holy Spirit gives us this peace with God by converting us to faith in Jesus! This isn’t shallow superficial peace, where you go along to get along, but have no true love for anyone. The Holy Spirit grants you eternal peace with God.
This peace with God grants you joy that the world cannot take away from you. You can lose your house, your money, your wife, children, everything you have, but the joy of being at peace with God can not be taken away from you, so long as you have faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit also gives you courage to confess Christ and do what is right. Consider Peter, who was afraid to acknowledge Christ to a servant girl, but now preaches to all the Jews in Jerusalem, including those who cried, “Crucify him!” to Pontius Pilate just fifty odd days earlier. When you hear and learn Holy Scripture, study it, and receive the Sacrament, the Holy Spirit grants you courage to face Satan and the world and not back down.
Finally, through the ministry of the Word, the Holy Spirit grants you love for your fellow Christian. At the end of Acts 2, St. Luke records that the Christians held everything in common with each other. They loved each other as their own bodies and didn’t consider anything their own! So filled they were with the Holy Spirit. This is part of the Holy Spirit sanctifying. He continues to work in you to bring you out of this world and into another. Just because you have faith in Christ, does not mean that the Holy Spirit is done working on you. The Holy Spirit must continue to work to sustain you in the faith, to increase your love, and joy and courage. If the Holy Spirit does not continue this work in you through His Word, then you will lose His work, including saving faith.
A final note: through whom does the Holy Spirit work? You are right if you say through the pastor. The pastor is called by God to proclaim God’s Word and be a steward of God’s mysteries. And so, we know the Holy Spirit works through the ministry of the Word and Sacraments. Yet, the Holy Spirit is not connected to the pastor apart from the Word. Moreover, the Holy Spirit is not separate from you when you speak His Word.
Now it is right that no one should publicly preach or teach without being called. And Holy Scripture has forbidden women from serving as pastors, from publicly preaching, teaching, and exercising authority in the Church (1 Timothy 2:11-12; 1 Corinthians 14:34-35); a teaching, which has become even more relevant as our world has rejected every distinction between men and women. Yet, every Christian is called to confess Christ. You don’t need to be a pastor to give a defense for the reason for the hope that is in you. Joel prophesied that both sons and daughters would prophesy. All of you in whom the Holy Spirit dwells are called to acknowledge Christ before men (Matthew 10:32). And the Holy Spirit promises to work even through your words to convert and save. Speak to your children about Christ. Talk to your family, friends, and neighbors about your faith in Jesus. And if you do not have the confidence to do so, then come to church and Bible study and learn more until you have such confidence. This is the greatest work God is doing today! The Holy Spirit is still adding to the number of those being saved. And we should be confident that He works through us when we confess the true Gospel. Amen.

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All Who Call Upon the Name of the Lord will be Saved

6/8/2022

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Pentecost, Giotto, 1304-1306. Public Domain.

Pentecost 2022
Acts 2:1-21; John 14:23-31
Pastor James Preus
Trinity Lutheran church
June 5, 2022

What was the greatest miracle the Holy Spirit did on Pentecost? There were many. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit rushed upon the disciples and caused divided tongues of fire to rest on each of the heads in whom the Holy Spirit dwelt. They spoke languages they had never learned. St. Peter, quoting the Prophet Joel, lists the mighty works the Holy Spirit accomplished on that day: young men see visions, old men dream dreams, men and women prophesy. And of course, the Holy Spirit continued to work with them. The apostles cured the sick and healed the crippled. They were bitten by venomous snakes and drank poison and were not harmed. They even raised the dead! So, which of these marvelous works that Holy Spirit began to accomplish on that Pentecost is the greatest miracle that the Holy Spirit performed? The fire, the speaking in tongues, the prophecies, the healings?

Verse 41 of Acts 2 gives us the answer: “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” And the Holy Spirit didn’t stop that day. He continued his work. This chapter closes, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (vs. 47) The greatest miracle the Holy Spirit did on Pentecost was to save souls from everlasting perdition and grant them eternal life. And this is a miracle, which the Holy Spirit continues to accomplish in our midst today!

This salvation of souls is the greatest miracle for two reasons. First, it is the most difficult miracle to accomplish. Second, it is the most wonderful, long lasting, and desirable gift to receive. The salvation of souls is the most difficult miracle to accomplish. Speaking in tongues is remarkable. But what is so remarkable about it is not the ability to speak in other languages, but rather that they spoke in languages they had never learned. But there are millions and millions of people who can speak multiple languages fluently. It just takes time and effort. The miraculous healings are certainly difficult. However, God has provided other means through medicine and other treatments to bring sick people to good health, to heal the crippled, even the blind and deaf can have their sight and hearing restored in some cases with today’s modern medicine.

Yet, to be saved is impossible. To be saved, you must have faith in Christ. And that is not something that you can do on your own. Scripture tells us that no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). St. Paul tells us that all of mankind is by nature dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3) and that the natural person cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:14) and that those set on the flesh, that is those who think according to their sinful flesh, cannot please God (Romans 8:8) This is why Jesus says that no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again of water and the Spirit (John 3:3-6), and that no one can come to him unless the Father draws him (John 6:44).

It is far more possible to heal diseases, make a paralyzed man walk, cause the blind to see and the deaf to hear, to speak in other tongues, yes, even to raise the dead, than to save a person. It is impossible to turn an unbeliever into a believer, to turn a sinner into a righteous person. It is impossible. Only God can do it, because he can do the impossible. The Holy Spirit is God. His greatest work is to cause unbelievers to be believers. His greatest work is to save souls.

To save souls is the greatest miracle the Holy Spirit does because it is the most wonderful work he does. To give sight to the blind is pretty good. I certainly don’t want to be blind. Oh, how I’d love to speak many languages fluently. That would be great. To take pain away, heal the sick, even raise the dead? Marvelous! But what happened to all those blind, deaf, crippled, and dead people, whom Jesus and his Apostles healed and raised? They eventually died! They’re not here today to tell us about it. But what happened to all those souls the Holy Spirit saved? They are in paradise! They are awaiting the glorious resurrection of dead, when all who have died in Christ will rise first to imperishable life! They hunger no more, neither thirst anymore. The sun does not strike them, nor any scorching heat. They are shepherded by Christ Jesus and God has wiped away every tear from their eyes. (Revelation 7:16-17) And that is what we can expect, who trust in the Lord Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Prophet Joel declared, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Yet, no one can call upon the name of the Lord unless the Holy Spirit grants him faith. Well, how does the Holy Spirit grant saving faith? St. Paul answers this question in Romans chapter 10. He writes, “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!’ But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

The Holy Spirit works through the Word of Christ, that is, through the Gospel. The crowds marveled that these Galileans spoke in each of their native tongues “the mighty works of God.” They heard what God had done for them through Jesus Christ; how God sent his Son to be the descendent of David, so that he might fulfill the Law in our place and suffer and die for our sins. They proved from Scripture that the prophets spoke of Christ, who died for all sins, yet, who rose from the dead, not seeing corruption. Their preaching brought many who were hostile to Christ to repentance, so that they were cut to the heart and cried, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter answered, “Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And many were baptized, repented of their sins and confessed Christ Jesus as Savior, and were saved.

There is no other way for the Holy Spirit to come to you than through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter, who teaches. He teaches and comforts by relaying Christ’s promises to you. During Jesus’ last night with his disciples before he was crucified, he told them that the Holy Spirit would bring to their remembrance all that he had said to them. This is how we know that what we read in Holy Scripture are the very words of Jesus. The Holy Spirit carried the Apostles, just as he carried the Prophets, to write down the very word of God (2 Peter 1:21). This is why St. Paul says that the household of God, which is the Holy Christian Church, is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Christ Jesus being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:19-20). The Holy Spirit builds up the Church of Christ by the preaching of the Gospel, which must always be grounded in Holy Scripture. Through this preaching, we confront our sins, doubts, and unbelief regularly. And through this preaching, the Holy Spirit accomplishes a work more miraculous than the feeding of the five thousand, speaking in tongues, or even raising the dead. Through this preaching, the Holy Spirit grants us saving faith in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why St. Paul instructs Pastor Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16)

This is why we Christians continue to learn God’s Word. Why we should not only go to church every Sunday, but attend Bible class, read the Bible daily, and ask questions. Learning what Holy Scripture has to say about the Holy Trinity, Jesus’ divine and human natures, the sacraments, sin, righteousness, heaven, hell, forgiveness, and redemption is not only very fascinating, but it is how the Holy Spirit saves us, by bringing us to trust in Christ Jesus for salvation.

Jesus said in our Gospel lesson for this Sunday, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23) You can only love Jesus if you have faith in him. And you can only have faith in him, if you hear his word. And if you have faith in Jesus, then you will love him. You cannot love Jesus without having faith in him and you cannot have faith in him without loving him. And none of this is possible without the Holy Spirit working through Jesus’ word. Jesus says that if you love him, you will keep his word. The word Jesus uses for keep means to guard, to pay attention to, to watch over. We keep Jesus’ word out of love for him, because it is our greatest treasure. Jesus’ word is how we know who Jesus is and that we have him as our Savior. Jesus Word is how we have access to the Holy Spirit and are confident that he joins us to Jesus. Without Jesus’ Word, we are in doubt. Our sins trouble us. Our mind wanders. We believe lies. We doubt God’s promises. We grow distant from God and cold toward one another. And eventually, our faith dies. So, Jesus says to those who love him, “If you love me, you will keep my word.” That is, you won’t stop listening to it or learning it, but you will strive ever more to grow closer to Christ.

Many seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit today, hoping for the gift to speak in tongues or to prophesy, or to heal diseases. However, St. Paul has told us that these gifts will pass away (1 Corinthians 13:8). But even if they did continue today, they would be but secondary gifts to the gift of salvation the Holy Spirit still grants us today through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What is speaking in tongues compared to eternal salvation? What could a new prophesy do for you? What good would a cure for cancer do if the Holy Spirit did not save your eternal soul by granting you faith in the blood of Jesus Christ? This Pentecost, we celebrate the greatest miracle the Holy Spirit has worked on earth. And we rejoice that he continues to work this miracle in his Church on earth today. The Holy Spirit saves sinners by granting them faith in Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

Let us pray:
Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light;
Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright
That we may abide in the Lord who bought us,
Till to our true home He has brought us.
Lord, have mercy! Amen.

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The Holy Spirit Grafts Us into The True Vine, So That We Bear Much Fruit

5/23/2021

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Christ The True Vine, Athens, 16c. Public Domain.

Pentecost/Confirmation Sunday
John 15:5; John 14:23-33
Pastor James Preus

Trinity Lutheran Church
May 23, 2021

Joel Alexander Hallgren, your confirmation verse is found just a few verses after the end of our Gospel lesson, John 15:5, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” I pray that you learn this verse well and live by it until you die and inherit eternal life. May we all recognize that Jesus is our one true vine. We are but branches that live off of him. Without Jesus, we cannot live. Without Jesus we can do nothing good. Your faith in Christ is not just one of many tidbits about yourself, like that you enjoy playing soccer and running the 200-meter dash. Your faith in Christ is your everything. Your faith in Christ is your life. Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” Your faith in Christ is not an appendage to your life. God lives within you. You are joined to Christ as a branch is to a vine.
This is most certainly true. Yet, how is it that we are joined to Christ as a branch is to a vine? Earlier in John chapter 15, Jesus tells us that the Father is the vinedresser. And Jesus tells us in our Gospel lesson that the Father sends to us the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name, who teaches us all things. And this is indeed how God the Father, our vinedresser joins us to Christ, our vine. He sends to us the Holy Spirit.
You are by nature a branch from a wild vine planted by the sin of our first father Adam, which produces bitter and sour grapes, that is, you are by nature a sinner, who cannot please God. When you were baptized, the Holy Spirit cut you off of that wild vine of Adam and grafted you into the true Vine, Jesus Christ. As long as you are joined to Jesus Christ, you will live. As a vine sends sap and nutrients into its branches, so Christ Jesus gives you his righteousness and life. Yet, just as when you cut a branch off of a stem, it shrivels up and dies unless it is grafted in again, so too would you dry out and die if you were cut off from Christ. Your leaves would wither. Your flowers and fruits would fall off. For apart from Christ, you can do nothing.
Yet, how is it that the Holy Spirit grafts you into the vine of Christ? And how is it that you remain attached to this Vine and are not cut off? Jesus tells us. He tells the disciples that when the Holy Spirit comes, he will teach them all things and bring to their remembrance the things that he had said to them. And this indeed was fulfilled. On that first Pentecost after Jesus ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit rushed upon the disciples and divided tongues of fire upon their heads and caused them to proclaim the mighty works of God in Christ Jesus in numerous languages, which they had not previously learned! And so, we also know that the Holy Spirit caused the apostles to write the New Testament, so that we know that the Bible is trustworthy and is indeed the Word of God. This means that the Holy Spirit speaks to us today. No, there are not tongues of fire on any of our heads. And I am preaching to you in the language I first learned as a child and which you all speak at home. Yet, the tongues of fire and the speaking in tongues were merely outward signs of the coming of the Holy Spirit. We still have the Holy Spirit with us today, working through the same Word of Christ, and igniting a flame in each of our hearts which burns through faith in Christ and produces love toward God and one another, as we will hear the children sing:
O Sweetest Love, Your grace on us bestow;
Set our hearts with sacred fire aglow
That with hearts united we love each other,
Ev’ry stranger, sister, and brother.
Lord, have mercy!
Through the proclamation of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit joins you to Christ Jesus by creating faith in your heart. And through the proclamation of the Gospel, Jesus gives you everything to survive. You live by faith in the forgiveness of sins, which Christ Jesus has won. Jesus has died to sin for you and is risen, never to die again. So, you having died to sin, being cut off from the wild and sinful stem of Adam now live forever attached to the imperishable vine of Christ.
You are cut off from the vine of Christ when you cease to hear Christ’s words and receive his Sacrament. You receive your nourishment from Christ through faith. Faith receives the promise. The promise is in the words of the Gospel and the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood, which offer free forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake to all who believe it. But, if you stop hearing Christ’s word and if you stop receiving his Sacrament, then you cut yourself off from the Living Vine. In that case, your faith will dry out, your leaves will shrivel, your fruit will drop off prematurely, and you will die. You cannot have saving faith if you reject the Gospel of Christ. This is why you promise in your Confirmation vows that you intend to hear the Word of God and receive the Lord’s Supper faithfully. This is what Jesus means when he says, “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” To live without the Word of God and Christ’s Sacrament is to live apart from Christ, to be a severed vine that will dry up and be burned.
This again is why the children will sing these words:
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray
For the true faith needed on our way
That He may defend us when life is ending
And from exile home we are wending.
Lord, have mercy!
The Holy Spirit keeps you in the true faith by proclaiming Christ to you, by feeding you his body and blood. You need this true faith not just today, not just at your confirmation, but throughout your entire life, especially when you exit this life to enter the one to come. And so, this should be our constant prayer, that the Holy Spirit would tend to us, so that we are always attached to the Vine of Life.
Jesus says that whoever abides in him will bear much fruit, but that apart from him you can do nothing. To be grafted into Christ the Vine has a greater effect on you than when a branch is grafted into a regular stem. For when a branch is cut off from a tree and grafted into another tree, it continues to produce the fruit of its original tree. But the vine of Christ has such an effect on the branches grafted into him, that he actually changes the branch to be like him and changes the fruit to be good fruit like his. It is as St. Paul writes, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” So, you as a Christian, must consider the works you do as the works of Christ, which you perform through faith in Christ Jesus.
Yet, this is a hard thing to believe. We look at the fruits produced by the Holy Spirit that first Pentecost and in the years following. Men speaking the mighty works of God in tongues they never learned. Men and women prophesying and old men dreaming dreams. The apostles laid their hands on the sick and healed them and were bitten by poisonous snakes and survived. Our works are not nearly so splendid. And many have had this thought before us, so they made up mighty works to prove they had the fruit of the Spirit, by fasting, saying long prayers, going on long pilgrimages, and what is common today, trying to speak in tongues and giving heart-wrenching testimonials to prove their fruits.
Yet, you must stop looking at the fruit, that is, you must stop looking at your own works to determine whether you are attached to Christ. Rather, it is those who are joined to Christ who produce much fruit, not those who produce fruit who are then attached to Christ. It is Christ who works in you through faith. So, if it is Christ who works in you, then even your ordinary works are abundant fruit produced to the glory of God. So, when you obey your parents, do your homework and help clean-up around the house, you are bearing great fruit. When you say your prayers every day and go to church every Sunday; when you marry a Christian spouse, love your wife and support her, bring your children to be baptized, teach them to pray and bring them to church, when you do your job diligently and are honest, when you help your neighbor and humbly do what is right, these are abundant fruits of the Vine, which Christ has caused to be produced in you, his branch.
Yet, this offends the world. They see these works and find nothing special about them. They despise Baptism and the word of God. And many of the other works you do, they claim to do them themselves, and even better. How can Christ say that without him you can do nothing? Aren’t there many people who do not believe in Christ, and who without Christ do many and more of these things than you do? This is why we must not focus on the outward work, but on the faith, which trusts in Christ. What Christ Jesus does is far better. All that we do of ourselves is for selfish gain and following after the lusts of the flesh. But what we do through faith in Christ is holy, honors God, and even, as it is when we bring our children to Baptism and to church, results in eternal life. This is because Christ is perfect. He forgives our sins and even sanctifies our works. Our boasting is never in ourselves, but in Christ.
Having been grafted into Christ by the Holy Spirit through faith in the Gospel of Christ, we have peace with God. This peace is not the same peace as the peace given by the world. The peace of the world comes from obeying the world’s wicked commands. The peace of the world is slavery to sin. It is temporary comfort and shallow love. But the peace, which comes from Christ is reconciliation with God. It is to be forgiven. It is to know that even though your works are imperfect and riddled with sin, God is pleased with you on account of Christ. It is to know that you are joined to Christ Jesus so closely as a branch is to its vine, that you know that as long as Christ lives, so you too will live. As long as you are joined to Christ through faith, you will have this peace. Let us pray.
Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light;
Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright
That we may abide in the Lord who bought us,
Till to our true home He has brought us.
Lord, have mercy! Amen.

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The Holy Spirit Gives Us Jesus

5/31/2020

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Pentecost 2020
John 14:23-31
The Holy Spirit Gives Us Jesus
May 31, 2020

Pentecost is the day we remember the Holy Spirit being given to the Church as tongues of fire rested on the disciples’ heads and they preached the Gospel in languages they had never learned. This was a mighty miracle of God! Yet, what was a much greater miracle was what they preached. They preached how Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the people and how God raised him from the dead. Their preaching was so powerful that Scripture tells us that about three thousand souls were added to the Church that day. For this reason, Christians prize the Holy Spirit. Where the Holy Spirit is, there is salvation! Where the Holy Spirit is, there the Church grows!
So, we must ask the question: How do you receive the Holy Spirit? Many obsess over this question. In fact, some call themselves Pentecostals, because of how much they emphasize the gifts of the Holy Spirit, who was given on Pentecost. And to be sure, how you receive the Holy Spirit is just about the most important question you can ask! It is akin to asking, “How am I saved.”
Yet, there are a lot of wrong ideas about how you receive the Holy Spirit. And all of the wrong ideas center on you and what you do. I actually googled the question, “How do you receive the Holy Spirit?” and I came upon two answers from two very different branches of Christianity that were pretty much the same. One person from a Pentecostal background quoted Acts 2:38, where St. Peter says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The man then concluded that you must first repent in order for God to give you his Holy Spirit. But until you repent, God will not give you his Holy Spirit. So, whether God gives you his Holy Spirit or not is up to you. “The decision is yours.”
Yet, there is a serious problem here. Unless you have already received the Holy Spirit, you cannot repent. St. Paul tells us that we are naturally dead in our sins. (Ephesians 2) In 1 Corinthians chapter 2 he writes, “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (vss. 12-14)
What St. Peter means by “repent” here in Acts 2 is not simply to turn from sin, but to turn to Christ Jesus in faith! This can only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit was already working in these people and in their hearts to cause them to repent, that is, to turn them from unbelief to faith in Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus says in our Gospel lesson, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” The Holy Spirit teaches by bringing to remembrance the words of Jesus. It is the Holy Spirit, who creates faith in your heart through Jesus’ word as Scripture also says, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)
In another video I found a Roman Catholic priest explain how we receive the Holy Spirit. He cited Acts 5:32, where St. Peter writes, “And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” So, the priest concluded that in order to receive the Holy Spirit, we must be obedient to God and live according to his word. Now, we certainly should be obedient to God and live according to his word, but we cannot do this unless we first have received the Holy Spirit! We do not live according to God’s word in order to receive the Holy Spirit, but rather, we receive the Holy Spirit so that we can live according to God’s Word. Again, this priest said that we receive the Holy Spirit by our own works. Yet, what does Scripture say?
St. Paul writes in Galatians 3, “Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith—just as Abraham ‘believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’?”
St. Paul makes clear that we receive the Holy Spirit through hearing with faith, that is, by hearing and believing the Gospel. And he makes clear that it is the Holy Spirit who both begins and finishes this work in you. What St. Peter means by obedience in Acts 5:32 is the obedience to the Gospel, that is, being convinced of the reliability of God’s promise. And only the Holy Spirit can convince you.
So, how do you receive the Holy Spirit? Through hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit works through the preaching of Christ to enliven your heart to believe in the forgiveness of sins won by Christ, so that you may be saved! It is the Holy Spirit who brings you to true repentance. It is the Holy Spirit who makes your heart obedient to the Gospel by convincing you of God’s grace. You do not receive the Holy Spirit by your own preparation. And the Holy Spirit does not come to you apart from proclamation of the Gospel.
This is also why Baptism gives you the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a proclamation of the Gospel. It is not just plain water, but it is water included in God’s command and combined with God’s word. Many think that Baptism is our work that we do in obedience to God as a condition to receive the Holy Spirit. But this is wrong. Baptism is God’s work, not ours, as St. Paul says in Titus 3, “He saved us, not by works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” Baptism is Gospel, because its power is in the word and promise of Christ and its benefits are received through faith.
How do you know whether you have the Holy Spirit? Again, there are many wrong answers to this that all focus on you instead of Jesus Christ. Those who say that you receive the Holy Spirit by being obedient teach that you know you have the Holy Spirit by whether or not you are obedient. Well, do you think you have been obedient enough to keep the Holy Spirit within you? Are you confident that you have the Holy Spirit based on how you have conducted yourself as a Christian? Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Comforter. Is it comforting to know that the Holy Spirit will remain with you just so long as you maintain your obedience to God’s law?
Others say that you know that you have the Holy Spirit if you display gifts of the Spirit like speaking in tongues, prophesying, or healing. In fact, some teach that you do not have the Holy Spirit unless you speak in tongues! And this leads many to babble incoherent sounds while lying to their hearts that they are speaking some unknown language. And it causes others to despair that the Holy Spirit has not come upon them.
Yet, this too is a misunderstanding of Scripture. Jesus did indeed promise that his disciples would speak in tongues and do many other mighty works, but he did not promise that these things would continue forever. Rather, St. Paul explicitly says in 1 Corinthians 13, “As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease...” And Jesus never said that all Christians would display these gifts of the Spirit, but rather that they would be performed as signs confirming the work of apostles, as St. Paul writes, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works.” (2 Corinthians 12:12) Yet Scripture does list fruits of the Spirit that will be produced by all Christians forever, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Yet, it is important to note that these are fruits of the Spirit. You must be a good tree before you can bear good fruit. You do not try to produce these fruits in order to have the Holy Spirit, but rather, if you have the Holy Spirit you will produce these fruits. We love, because he first loved us. We cannot finish with the flesh what the Holy Spirit has begun. Jesus says, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my word.” (John 14:23-24)
So, how do you know whether you have the Holy Spirit? By whether you believe the Gospel! St. John writes, “By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the World. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.” (1 John 4:13-16)
You know you have the Holy Spirit through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you focus on yourself and what you do, you will always doubt whether God’s Spirit abides in you. But if you focus on Christ and his Gospel which the Holy Spirit teaches you, you have confidence that the Holy Spirit dwells in you by grace as a gift.
Finally, what is the greatest treasure the Holy Spirit gives you? The peace, which the world cannot give. Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27) The Holy Spirit delivers this peace to us through the preaching of the forgiveness of sins for Christ’s sake. When Jesus rose from the dead, he said to his disciples, “Peace be with you. Receive the Holy Spirit.” and he then gave his church the authority to forgive sins. Scripture says in Romans 5:1, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Holy Spirit gives us peace with God, which Jesus Christ won for us by dying for our sins and taking God’s wrath away. The Holy Spirit continues to give us this peace by convincing us through the proclamation of this Gospel that God is at peace with us for Christ’s sake. Pentecost is not about your works or your preparation. It is not even about speaking in tongues or doing miracles. Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit convincing you that God is at peace with you for Christ’s sake. Pentecost is about the Holy Spirit giving Jesus to you. Amen.

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"For faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ." ~ Romans 10:17

How to Love Jesus

The Work of the Holy Spirit

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The Holy Spirit Grafts Us into The True Vine, So That We Bear Much Fruit

The Holy Spirit Gives Us Jesus

Rev. James Preus

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